Flow Fighting reviews

[Joseph David]

After reading all the impressive reviews from the Flow Fighting seminar, I see that everyone had thier personal revelations and transformations.

There is this part of me that want to do battle and see if I can prove my worthyness. I realize that is faulty thinking but non the less there. I have been in a few battles my life. The physical ones have left there emotional scars.

In high school, I had this one particular battle that altered my life path. There was one boy that was stealing from one of my friends. Somehow it came down to me to defend his honor becuase he was 18 and the other boy was 16. I was standing amongst a group of friends and this boy walk through the crowd, parting his way as he made for me. He had that look in his eye that he had business with me. Something took over, my inner animal, I don't know. I ended up beating this poor kid and it took several teachers to pull me off of him. I was in some kind of altered state.

What I learned from this is that I dislike confrontation becuase I'm not really sure what i'm capable of. And perhaps what i'm capable of scares the crap out of me because I really don't want to hurt anyone. So I have this formidable structure but inside I'm feel whimpish. Again plagued with faulty thinking.

I bear my soul because truthfully I want to come to a FF seminar and learn to play with the boys in a safe environment. I should feel safe knowing that if I need to protect my family I'm capeable of doing so. So when i make it to one don't be too hard on me...just hard enough so I learn something about me that I have been running from since high school.

[JasonE]

I have experienced the altered state you speak of, and understand your fear of entering it again.

Nothing wimpy about you, my friend. It takes strength and courage to be an effective coach, therapist, and athlete. You will do very well physically at a FlowFighting event, and you won't find a better venue to safely sup from the cup of violence.

I hope to have the honor of working with you at such an event, or privately as two friends exploring the oceans of RMAX. Breath, Structure, Movement. You have everything you need except the specific training experience.

[Coach Jones]

you won't find a better venue to safely sup from the cup of violence.

I love that!

[KD Jones]

... to safely sup from the cup of violence.

Whoa, dude. Related to Shakespeare? Can I use it in a song?

I don't know how anyone will feel about this, but at the club where I train there's a drill we work regularly called "monster." The point is to "bring out the monster," then put him/her away.

It's done with heavy bags, with someone holding. When someone is new, it's just a case of going insane on the bag - physically AND mentally - for 10 seconds, then backing off and letting the partner have a go. Back and forth. As folks get more proficient, the idea is that the drill becomes more focused without becoming less intense. As though the early stage is just fire flying everywhere, and later it becomes a laser.

The other point is to realize the "monster" is there, know when and how to let him/her out of the box, and when and how to put him/her back in. I believe the ideal state would be to have that fury isolated to a point and an instant, though I personally don't know how close one can come to that.

It occurs to me that when this gets truly refined and evolved, it ceases to be anything like rage (from which I imagine the monster's name is derived) and is distilled into simple force. Maybe that's just the spin that RMAX concepts of engagement has put on me... it's not "hitting," it's "transferring force." That kind of thing.

At any rate, some combination of the concepts I've learned via MA (for which I rightly give all the credit to my Sifu, Cary Hiatt) and the concepts I've gotten here have gradually changed my approach to the "cup of violence."

True violence is a horrible thing by its nature, but as with all things, horrible or beautiful, the eye of the beholder - or the fist of the fighter - makes all the difference. The approach, the meaning and to an extent even the effect are translated by that lens, and I believe that lens is a trainable attribute.

For my part, I find that drinking from that cup in a disciplined way - though my experience is still very limited compared to many here - has made its effects less intoxicating, and made me more capable to hold it rather than it holding me.


Of course, as I've said before these thoughts come from a relative newcomer, and more seasoned hands will have more useful insights.


Thanks for opening this particular "cup of worms" Joseph. Your honesty is honorable.

[Joseph David]

Thanks guys for the boost of confidence.